Former Field Hockey Standout Lindsey Leck Helps Team to Australian Hockey League ChampionshipLeck Played at UConn From 2005-08

Former UConn star, Lindsey Leck.

Oct. 11, 2013

By Lee Oliver

A University of Connecticut alumnus has won a national field hockey championship Down Under as Lindsey Leck helped the Queensland Scorchers win the Australian Hockey League (AHL) title for the first time in eight years.

Leck was a standout on the UConn field hockey team from 2005-08 and was honored as Big East First Team selection in 2008 while earning Second Team honors in 2007. She was selected to the All-Mideast Region Team in each of her final two years at UConn.

Leck helped the Huskies to a 77-17 record during her four years in Storrs and the team won four conference championships over that span. Additionally UConn made four trips to the NCAA Tournament, including back-to-back appearances in the National Semifinal in 2007 and 2008.

Queensland, the AHL’s perennial bridesmaids, beat arch nemesis Western Australia Diamonds in a dramatic tournament final in Hobart on October 5.

Following a scoreless 70 minutes, the undefeated Queensland side won 2-0 in a penalty shootout through goals to Ashlea Fey and Jodie Schulz and four saves by goalkeeper Audrey Smith.

Queensland had lost five of the previous seven AHL deciders, with its five straight grand final losses between 2006 and 2010 including four defeats to Western Australia.

It has been a long road from Leck’s home of Millstone, in Monmouth County, New Jersey to playing in one of the world’s top field hockey competitions.

The 26-year-old, a USA junior representative, played hockey for the University of Connecticut Huskies for four years.

And that’s almost where her hockey career ended.

“Basically if you don’t make the national team in the US there’s not many opportunities to continue to play, and definitely not at a highly competitive level,” Leck said.

“Essentially I was retired (from hockey) at 22. I came over (to Australia) for about three months to play and realized I missed it way too much, and I decided to come back and keep playing.”

After moving to Australia, Leck lived in Melbourne and sounded out playing for that state’s AHL side, the Victoria Vipers.

When her boyfriend Brad Howard, a former professional Australian Rules football player with the St Kilda Saints club, moved north to Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland, Leck followed.

“When I moved up to Queensland I decided that I would give it (representative hockey) a go and trialled for the team (Queensland Scorchers),” Leck said.

“I’ve always been highly competitive and wanting to play at the highest level that I possibly can, and I’m happy I’ve had the opportunity to continue to do so after I thought I wouldn’t play ever again.”

Now Leck, who debuted for the Scorchers last season, tackles the best players in Australia whose national team, nicknamed the Hockeyroos, is currently ranked number six in the world.